


Five Time Toby Cavanaugh Broke the Rules

by liberallesbian37



Series: Project Team Beta's 2013 Writing Challenge [10]
Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-06 12:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/735878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liberallesbian37/pseuds/liberallesbian37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Time Toby Cavanaugh Broke the Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Challenge Number/Title: #10/Rule Me Out  
> Date Posted: 3/25/13  
> Fandom: Pretty Little Liars  
> Rating: T  
> Genre: (AH, AU, Canon, RPF) Canon-ish.  
> Content Descriptors: (Fluff, Comedy, Slavery, Rape, BDSM, etc.) Slightly angsty.   
> Character Pairing: Spencer/Toby

Rule #1: Never fall in love.

                “I love you so much,” Toby breathed in amazement.

                Spencer’s face broke out into a grin.“I wanted to say that first.”

                Toby pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly against his chest, feeling her heart beat steadily. If Mona somehow heard, she would never suspect he meant it. She would think he was playing with Spencer’s feelings. He squeezed her gently at the thought.

                “What’s wrong?” she asked.

                “Nothing. You are…Amazing.”

                She smiled and pulled back just enough to kiss him. Rage rushed through his veins. He had never hated anyone in his entire life as much as he hated Mona in that moment. Jenna had put him through hell, and Alison had been almost as bad, but at least they didn’t hurt Spencer. And now Mona was hurting _his_ girl and there was nothing he could do about it… Except play along. He knew it was the best way to protect Spencer, but it still hurt. He could deal with Mona punishing him for falling in love, but he knew he would die if Spencer ever doubted his utter devotion.

                “I love you,” he said again. Spencer giggled. It was a strangely girly action that she didn’t do much, and Toby was thrilled that he could elicit that reaction from her.

                “I know. I love you too, silly.”

                The simple words warmed his heart. She loved him. He loved her. Rules be damned.

 

Rule #2: Never Hurt Another A Team Member

                “If you need anything tonight, I’ll be there.”

                His promise to Spencer echoed in his ears as he snuck into the church. He was only here to make sure that scumbag didn’t hurt her. Ian was a part of the original team that stalked Alison, back before Toby or even Mona had any idea the hateful group existed. Toby often wished he could go back to those days. He would take Jenna’s endless torture if it meant Spencer was safe. He wondered if Ian and the others would have eventually moved on to the other girls if Ali hadn’t died. Either way, he didn’t trust Ian one bit.

                “This would be the perfect place for your suicide,” Ian threatened. Spencer’s soft whimper sent Toby running faster than he had to reach the top of the bell tower before that bastard did anything to Spencer. What he saw hurt worse than the punishment he would get later that night.

                Spencer was dangling from the bell tower, grasping for Ian in an attempt to keep from falling. Toby approached Ian in a frenzy. He faintly heard the older man say something, but he couldn’t make out anything beyond the blood rushing in his ears. Making sure Spencer was supporting herself, he pushed Ian. Spencer screamed. Every fiber of his being told him to reach out to her, comfort her, but he knew he couldn’t. Not right now. If she saw him in this hoodie… Breaking the rules would be the least of his problems.

 

Rule #3: Never Help One of the Liars

                “You have one minute to get out of the house.”

                The voice distorted rendered Toby’s voice unrecognizable to Emily, but he knew A would know who it was. If A found out, that was, and he was going to do his damndest to make sure they didn’t.  Calling Emily was a risk, but it was a risk he was certainly willing to take. His heart had dropped when he overheard Mona talking to someone on the phone. Although he’d only heard her side of the conversation, it was enough. _Emily. Cabin. Nate. Kill. Paige._ The words didn’t even make sense in his mind, but he knew he had to follow his gut. And his gut told him to call Emily and warn her, whether it made sense or not. She was his best friend, and if she was in danger he couldn’t sit around and do nothing. After all, that was the only reason he was still there, to keep them safe. If he thought he did more harm than good, he would hop the first plane out of Rosewood. A _probably_ wouldn’t come after him. But he stayed. For Emily. For Spencer. For the possibility that he could keep them safe, and someday things would end up all right.

 

Rule #4: Never Reveal Your Identity

                Toby wasn’t stupid. He’d been on the A team for a while now, nearly as long as Mona, and he knew how to cover his ass. He knew that if anyone found out who he was, if anyone knew, he would be in major trouble. Life threatening trouble. Spencer finding the visitor’s pass wasn’t an accident. He hadn’t necessarily meant for her to see it, but he certainly hadn’t been hiding it either. He may not have expected her to be rifling through his drawers, but he should have been more careful. If he had cared more, he would have hidden it.

                Panic set in when Toby found out he lost the key. How could he have dropped it? Spencer had just been on him about the hole in his pocket, and now he’d screwed up. He had two options: get the key back before the girls figured it all out, or A would kill him. Simple. Easy. His instructions were clear cut. What he hadn’t counted on was Spencer. A silly mistake; after being with Spencer as long as he had, he should have known better. Spencer was a genius, nothing got past her. She saw the ID, and she knew. She set a trap, and he walked right into it.

                _“Looking for these?”_

                The words detonated a bomb in his heart. Spencer was everything to him, and he lost it all because of a stupid mistake. A stupid mistake that he had unwittingly brought upon himself. Everything was over.

 

Rule #5 Never, Ever Hook Up With Another A Member

                “I’m so sorry, Spencer. I’m so sorry,” Toby murmured, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck. Spencer cut him off sharply.

                “Stop…Talking…Just…Kiss…Me…” she breathed out heavily.

                So she wasn’t _really_ a member of the A team. Rules were rules. And they were meant to be broken. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my girl V. for reading this over for me!


End file.
